Few spaceships have reached the rarefied level of fame the Death Star has achieved. Pretty much all you need is a circle with another smaller circle inside and you know you're looking at a representation of Darth Vader's formidable battleship.

The Death Star hasn't just appeared onscreen, it has also infiltrated almost every corner of our lives, from the kitchen to conventions. Clever geeks have transformed cheese balls, rings, candy, and home theaters into representations of the Empire's sphere of doom.

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"Star Wars" has been a constant source of inspiration for geek crafting culture. That's why Etsy is such a gold mine for unofficial Death Star merchandise. You'll find everything from Death Star soap to Death Star pinatas with little Rebel and Empire ships attached.

Where does our fascination with the Death Star come from? The Death Star is a big, round, beautiful ball of fear, lasers, and darkness. The trench run is still one of the most exciting sequences in sci-fi. The destruction of the Death Star represents the ultimate triumph of the scrappy underdog good guy against a seemingly insurmountable enemy.

Fans have found plenty of ways to pay tribute to this legacy, whether it involves snapping up officially licensed merchandise or painstakingly attaching little mirror tiles to a disco ball. Come along as we blast through space, seeking out 11 weird and wonderful ways the Death Star has invaded the world. Your cheese balls will never be the same again.

About the author

Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET's Crave blog. When not wallowing in weird gadgets and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
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